Click It or Ticket

USDOT-NHTSA

Distracted Driving

In life you don’t get do-overs and even if you did, things may not turn out the way you expect. When you drive and use your cellphone, not only can you get a ticket, you can also cause a crash where you could die or kill someone else. U Drive. U Text. U Pay.

What to Know About Towing | Consumer Reports

There are so many vessels and vehicles to satisfy your inner adventurer. Consumer Reports’ expert explains what you need to know about getting these beauties from point A to point B.

Driver Training for On-Highway Heavy-Duty Truck Engines

Driver Training for On-Highway Heavy-Duty Truck Engines – Part 1 of 13 in a series of chapters from the Cummins On-Highway Heavy-Duty Truck Engine Driver Training Video Series updated in 2015. This segment is the Introduction to the video series.

Cummins On Highway Electronic Engine Features - Load Based Speed Control

Load Based Speed Control or LBSC is an electronic feature that is programmable on the Cummins ISX15 and ISX12, and ISX12 G engines. LBSC encourages the driver to shift into the next gear as soon as possible and is active in all gears except the top two. LBSC turns off when applications are above 100,000 lbs GCVW, during tire scrub events, and when grades exceed 2%. To set up or adjust LBSC trim settings, download PowerSpec, a free computer application, and talk to your local Cummins representative to receive free licensing rights. For more information, visit the feature description section of http://cumminsengines.com/powerspec.

Winter Treads

When much of the country is getting pounded by winter storms and deep snow, our thoughts turn to tires. Some pickup truck owners have separate wardrobes for summer and winter. Nome, Alaska, and Miami residents maybe not so much.

Pickup winter wear can include anything from a fresh wax to do-it-yourself undercoating to lighter lubricating fluids to a block heater to winter diesel fuel. But does your truck's cold-weather wardrobe include winter tires?

Winter tires are designed for cold weather and associated precipitation. Tires rated for mud and snow (M+S) may not qualify as winter tires and often don't excel in either mud or snow. A winter tire's specific compound, tread design — and studs if you want them — is far more suitable and safer on cold roads and the various forms of water you might find on them.

In every road-based comparison in which I've participated, dedicated winter tires were more valuable than the number of driven wheels. However, while winter tires can improve performance, they are no substitute for common sense and can be pushed beyond their limits. They also add expense and create the issue of storage logistics.

The U.S., unlike some countries, does not mandate winter tire use, although some states and cities have laws about the use of studded tires or chains. It's worth noting that some insurance companies offer discounts for using winter tires.

Do you think winter tires should be required for new drivers or general safety, and if so, under what parameters? And if you don't believe in running dedicated winter tires, studs or chains, how do you deal with marginal winter traction? Let us know in the comments section below.

Source: http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2017/01/talking-trucks-tuesday-winter-treads.html#more

By G.R. Whale

Cars.com graphic by Paul Dolan; cars.com image by Bruce Smith

Health and Safety Tips for Commercial Van Drivers

Health and safety. It is a number one priority while at work. And for tradesmen and commercial van drivers especially, now is the time to be extra careful while on the job. Follow our health and safety guidelines to ensure your commercial van stays clean and sanitary.

Keep the Air Fresh

Ensure that the air in your cab and cargo space is constantly moving, and not staying stagnant in your vehicle for long periods of time. One product that helps with this, is a Flettner vent. Installed on the roof of the commercial van, it sucks in fresh air as you drive while forcing the stale air out. This lowers the chance of germs settling on surfaces, reducing the risk of sickness.

Put Up a Barrier for Yourself

For commercial vans designed to carry passengers or materials that may be contagious, it is a good idea to put up a barrier to protect you. Composite safety partitions for cargo vans are a great option. Their tight fit to the van walls prevent germs from seeping into the cab while you drive. For smaller passenger vans, a clear plexiglass shield offers just as much protection and also allows the driver and passengers to see and hear each other clearly.

Clean Your Work Space Regularly

Giving your commercial van a quick clean, as often as required by company guidelines or government regulations, is a good way to rid yourself of germs and bacteria. However sometimes it can be difficult to wash the things you touch the most; your seat for example. That’s why we suggest Seat Covers. Sturdy and fitted, they are also removable which means you can throw them in the washing machine as needed.

Keep Protective Equipment Close

Hand sanitizers, gloves, masks… these are essential items to be carrying around in this current time. However, these are relatively small items which means they can be easily lost in the equipment of a commercial van. The solution to this is the 3-in-1 Sanitizer Caddy. This aluminum holder mounts anywhere in your van and stores all the essential items you need when coming into contact with other people.

Here at Ranger Design, your health and safety is top priority. We have designed these products to provide you with a way to keep your commercial van sanitary while on the job. Learn more on how to better protect yourself with partitions.

Learn more at: https://rangerdesign.com/blog/blog/health-and-safety-tips-for-commercial-van-drivers/

Learn about all Ranger Design products at: https://rangerdesign.com/

Big or Small- We Tow Them All

If its a Truck, we can tow it. 

 Hydrovac vacuum truck

Front Loader

Truck, Bus, Heavy Duty, Light Duty, we can tow it!

Take a close look at a heavy Wrecker Truck

Before continuing work on my class 8 wrecker model project I thought I would get some good pictures of a real wrecker, especially the business end.

How to Set Up Weight Distribution | BetterWeigh™ Mobile Towing Scale

This video describes how to use the Weight Distribution feature of the CURT BetterWeigh™ mobile towing scale. With this feature, you can easily set up your weight distribution hitch without the need for a measuring tape, pen and paper. The CURT BetterWeigh™ #51701 is a Bluetooth-enabled OBD2 device that wirelessly syncs with your smartphone to provide a variety of vehicle and trailer weights. This includes vehicle weight, GCW, payload, tongue weight and pin weight, as well as weight distribution setup and trailer brake gain. To begin setting up your weight distribution hitch with the CURT BetterWeigh™, choose the weight range that best suits your vehicle-trailer setup. To set the range, tap the gear icon and select Weight Distribution. Then, select a weight range. Next, select the Weight Distribution feature on the BetterWeigh™ app homescreen. Before pressing Ready, make sure your vehicle and trailer are aligned and ready to be coupled. Turn off the engine. Then, step back from the vehicle and tap Ready. BetterWeigh™ will take an initial reading of your vehicle’s pitch. Once the vehicle pitch is analyzed, lower the trailer tongue until the coupler is resting on the ball. BetterWeigh™ will then display the trailer tongue weight. Tap Ready again to see the weight distribution relative scale. Weights will be shown across the front, rear and trailer axle. The goal is to redistribute the weight toward the front vehicle axle. Next, attach the weight distribution spring bars to the trailer. Then, raise the trailer jack off the ground to see the initial weight distribution reading. Adjust the weight distribution hitch until the front end axle is in the green zone on the app. Finish connecting your trailer, and you’re ready to tow! BetterWeigh™ is compatible with Apple and Android phones. Download the BetterWeigh™ app from Google Play or the App Store. Learn more at www.curtmfg.com/betterweigh

EVIR® Electronic Verified Inspection Reporting

Tag, inspect and transmit - it’s that simple

TAG – Data-encoded RFID tags are placed in each inspection zone of a vehicle or asset. In a commercial trucking environment, for example, tags are placed in inspection zones that adhere to DOT compliance requirements for pre- and post-trip inspections. Many school districts place tags at the back of a bus to ensure that drivers perform their end-of-shift check for students.

INSPECT – The individual performing the inspection must physically scan each tag on the vehicle. The tablet device must be within two inches of the point of inspection, which helps to verify that a check was performed and the vehicle is up to operating standards. EVIR acts as an electronic, verifiable log to prove that inspections are being performed accurately and consistently.

TRANSMIT – Defects or vehicle damage can be captured with Zonar's tablet device. Equipped with a 5 mega-pixel camera, drivers can easily transmit photos to give maintenance a heads-up as to what they are seeing. After the tablet is docked inside the vehicle, the inspection data is seamlessly transferred back to Zonar's web-based application, Ground Traffic Control®. Fleet managers and maintenance personnel have immediate access to the inspection data from the field, helping them to prioritize and schedule repairs.

Not just for vehicles

The EVIR system is as flexible as our customers' unique needs. While most commonly used to verify the pre- and post-trip inspection process for fleets across all industries, EVIR use spans to wherever there's a need to verify a process is being followed.

A complete solution provider

Zonar offers a full suite of smart fleet technology solutions that improve safety, decrease downtime of vehicles, reduce fuel costs, coach driver performance, and streamline back-office reporting.

Unparalleled customer service

From onboarding to installation, our U.S.-based Customer Care team makes sure that you’re set up for success. There’s a reason more than 99 percent of our customers that choose to do business with us, stay with us. More than 30 percent of our company is devoted to after-sale support, which means you can always reach a live Zonar employee—24/7/365.

Learn more at: http://zonarsystems.com/solutions/evir-electronic-verified-inspection-reporting/